If you love to scrapbook...

go and visit Rebecca at Rainy Day Kisses. She is having a great giveaway ~ lovely scrapbooking supplies.

It's so much fun to discover new blogs!

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p.s. It rained all day again today. And there's a tornado warning in effect. Ooohhh.

Rainy Day

What do you do when the weather is like this all day?


Well... you do housework and laundry. Ya gotta do whatcha gotta do.

Do some reading and writing for your course... and then realize with a panic that you have a paper due next Monday that you haven't even started.

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Bake banana bread. Yum.

The OnlyChild likes the end pieces best. So do I, but sometimes we have to sacrifice for our children.

Hang out with the fuzzies. Poor ancient Rex Cat. He's looking particularly mangy lately. (He's 18 years old.)

And, of course, you write a Dog Haiku.


I guess I could have been sewing, but for some reason the rain brought out the practical side of me and I felt the need to get things done.

We needed this rain. It will make everything nice and green around here... and I won't have to water my garden tonight.

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I just hope it's sunny tomorrow ☺

Small Miracles

It is not a very nice day today - windy and cloudy, and the sky is heavy with rain. One must find joy in the small things on such a day.

While other bloggers are bragging about the salads they have made with their fresh produce, we 'gardeners' to your north are just now seeing promise in our crops.

Take a look at today's small miracles:

These will someday be luscious, red tomatoes. Yes, they will.

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And zucchini will grow from these vines. Trust me.
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Remember, our growing season didn't start until the very end of May this year. I'm a rookie gardener, so I'm really not sure how far along everything should be. The fact that I haven't killed it off yet is a sign of hope for me.

And I spent a couple of hours with my friend Patt this afternoon. She has the most beautiful back yard, with little garden spots and reading/chatting areas scattered throughout. She lent me these books, so I can dream. I have plans for my back yard, which right now belongs to two very active Jack Russell Terriers. It's time to claim back the land!
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Oh, and Loser Monday...? I'm boycotting today. Sharon says she will be back next Monday to round up the troops and get everyone moving. I'm not saying I'm going to be an absolute lazy pig for a week until she puts her General boots back on. I'm just not saying anything...

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Have a wonderful week. Boy, the summer already seems to be zooming by... scary!

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Rachel's Rhubarb Bumble Crumble and other delights

A delightful giveaway is being offered by sewmeow in honour of her birthday this month. Go and visit her (well, read the rest of my post first) and you can enter.

The other night, Mr. P and the OnlyChild went to a football game. While they were gone, I got creative in the sewing room and in the kitchen.

I finished my Bunny Hill Tisket a Tasket block for June... just in time for the release of July's block.

And I made the Seasons of the Heart June block from A Legacy of Stitches. I changed this one a little bit, creating a shooting star rather than the patriotic theme that Sandi had chosen.


In the kitchen, I decided it was time to use up some of the fruit before it passed its prime. The result of my messing around is this:


Rachel’s Rhubarb Bumble Crumble

(Warning: Despite the abundance of fruit in this recipe, this is not diet food, although I suppose you could substitute Splenda for the sugar. All measurements are approximate since I didn't bother to measure and had to guess. That's my cooking style...)

5 stalks rhubarb, cleaned and sliced
2 c assorted berries (blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, or strawberries)
1 apple, cored and diced
½ c granulated sugar (or more to taste – you know how tart rhubarb can be)
1 ½ c oats
1/3 c margarine
1/2 c brown sugar
Dash of cinnamon or nutmeg (optional)

Preheat oven to 425º F. In large casserole dish layer rhubarb, apple and berries, alternating with granulated sugar.

In small bowl, combine margarine, oats and brown sugar. Sprinkle over top of fruit. Cover and bake for 35-40 minutes until fruit is tender and bubbling.

Serve with whipped cream or ice cream.


Yum!
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Happy Fourth of July to my American friends! I hope you had a wonderful holiday... with lots of fireworks!
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In my closet

A while ago, I promised you all that I would show you the LBD (little black dress) I made from Butterick 5317. Well, here it is, modelled by yours truly:

As you can see, it's a bit low cut, so I don't think this will be a 'work' dress. I will have to arrange to be taken out on a date in order to wear it. But I love the little pleats in the front and the full skirt. As the OnlyChild says, "It's so Jackie-O!" (even if I'm not).

Photos were taken by the OnlyChild with her fantastic camera, Francis (everything has a name).

And here is the skirt I made using the same pattern as my Très Chic Skirt, without the fancy schmancy netting. This fabric is Deer Valley Antler Damask by Joel Dewberry. I got it from the Fat Quarter Shop, now one of my favourite places to browse on the web. If it weren't for the delay caused by shipping (2-4 weeks), I'd do all my fabric shopping there.

Honestly, this has got to be the most comfortable skirt I own! And look at that fabric. I ♥ it!

Okay... I know you didn't tune in today to read my gushing about fabric or be exposed to extreme boobage in that black dress. Nope, you want to know who won my 100th post celebration giveaway, don't you?

The Random Number Generator chose...

Numero seize... That's LillySue by my calculations. Congratulations! You're going to have to give me a list of things you like, LillySue, so I can pick out something especially for YOU!

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On the first day of summer vacation, my true love gave to me...

...time to sew!

The weather was kind of miserable on and off yesterday. Not much fun to be Canada Day-ing under the threat of rain. So instead, I stayed home and checked a few things off my to-do list. Yes, I have a to-do list for the summer. That's a bit depressing, isn't it? I tidied up the sewing room. What a mess it was ~ I have far too many things on the go in that little space. Now it's liveable... for a while. I also got some things organized for my new course, which starts today.

And I decorated my scarf for Kelee's Design Gives Back project and emailed the photo to her to be added to her gallery. I picked a daisy theme for a couple of reasons. First, because it's summery and I need it to be summer. Second, because Kim and Maggie of Daisy Cottage have been helping in this endeavour.

Abby Dog modelled the scarf for me. It's a bit big for a little Jack Russell Terrier ~ more of a shawl than a scarf.

Derby tried it on, too. He wasn't very impressed. I think it threatened his masculinity to be wearing flowers.

I finally used the ruffler foot that I got for Christmas. I don't know why I didn't take this attachment out of the box sooner. It is so much fun! Now I want to ruffle everything. I'll have to look for a little project so I can use it again soon.

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Did you notice that yesterday's post was my 100th?

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I think that's worth celebrating. So, I'll have a little draw for everyone who commented yesterday and who leaves a comment today. If you comment both days, you get two entries. I don't know what the prize will be, but I promise it will be something good. Maybe I'll choose the prize based on who wins... then if you're the winner, you can tell me what you'd like!

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My friend, Cheryl, who is my 'bestest friend' in the whole wide world and has been for over 25 years, started a blog recently. Cheryl is quite sick. She was hospitalized for 50+ days in November/December and still doesn't have a diagnosis. I worry about her all the time! She was on sick leave from her job and a couple of weeks ago they informed her that she was now laid off. I don't know if that's even legal, but the company says they've 'restructured' and her position no longer exists. In order to make a little extra money to help out her family, she has registered with an online business.

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If you shop online using ebay or Amazon, consider going through Cheryl's website. It's only one extra step before you get to ebay or Amazon, and you would be helping her out a lot!

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I'm off to take the OnlyChild to summer school. She didn't finish her English course this year so this is the price to pay (plus it will keep her busy for a few weeks). Gosh, what a mean mum I am. Then I have a hair appointment later this morning. I was planning to make a trip to the LQS after my appointment ~ just because I haven't been for a while ~ but then I noticed they are having a sale Friday and Saturday with up to 50% off. Sounds dangerous. hehe.

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Aaahhhh... vacation. Did I tell you how much I love it? Have a great day!

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Happy Canada Day!

Happy 142nd birthday to my adopted country. You've been good to me; I might stick around for a while.